Bloc Québécois (BQ) leader Yves-François Blanchet and Claude DeBellefeuille, MNA for Salaberry-Suroît, held their pre-sessional caucus in the Eastern Townships on September 13 and 14 to discuss priority issues for Quebec in the upcoming parliamentary session.

The Bloc Québécois is setting the tone for the new parliamentary term with its theme of Responsibility, reflecting its positions and the firmness of its commitment to Quebec. Three priorities will be identified as:

• successful, responsible immigration that respects Quebec's capacity to welcome newcomers; 
• the cost of living, especially for seniors;
• as well as global warming and accelerating the ecological transition.

Responsible! 

The Bloc Québécois is the only party Quebecers can count on to defend their language, their interests and their choices. The Bloc claims to be the only party that fully understands the consequences of climate change, recognizes the need to immediately break our dependence on GHG-producing fossil fuels, and is determined to accelerate the ecological and energy shift.

According to the BQ, this is an opportunity for Quebec to consolidate its position as a leader in the renewable energy sector, as confirmed by the experts at the Colloque sur l'énergie held on Tuesday in Bromont.

Responsible too, "because the Bloc wants to avoid extremes and do politics for the people, without the partisan polarization that Quebecers don't recognize themselves in", said the Bloc Québécois leader.

Yves-François Blanchet

Yves-François Blanchet presented the Bloc Québécois action plan for the next parliamentary session, and identified 3 priorities that he will be moving on quickly:

• Combating and adapting to climate change, and accelerating the shift to energy, with recognition of Quebec as a major hub for renewable energy, research and resource processing;
• The cost of living and support for seniors: the Bloc Québécois will continue to make the living conditions of Quebecers, particularly seniors, and their access to housing a top priority;
• Responsible immigration: taking into account Quebec's capacity to receive immigrants in terms of health services, education, language and housing.

Claude DeBellefeuille listens

"We spent the whole summer on the road meeting Quebecers, and in every region, people are really concerned about the rising cost of living and the housing shortage.

"People want proposals for dealing with the climate crisis, and we're ready to offer them to speed up the ecological and economic shift.

"We also have solutions to help Quebecers, including seniors, regain their purchasing power; because at the Bloc Québécois, we're responsible!" concluded Claude DeBellefeuille.